Dark Lilies: The Great Sage Laughs at the Sun
by mesmerizedbyceruleaneyes
Summary: Shinou was the only one who had ever called the soukoku beautiful. "In the face of the blonde's intensity, the Sage could only close his eyes in resignation." ShinouXSage, ShinouXMurata, implied SeigbertXRufus. Spoilers.


**Dark Lilies:****The Great Sage Laughs at the Sun**

"Yuuri, Yuuri!" Greta barged unceremoniously into the office where Yuuri sat signing documents under Gunter and Gwendal's watchful eyes. "Cheri-sama has new flowers, and she named them after Murata-nii-san!"

The Maou looked up gratefully and, opportunistic as always, seized the chance to escape his duties. "Really? I _must_ go and see them, then! Show me, Greta!" He grabbed his daughter's hand and ran with her at full speed from his supervisors and the dreaded pile of papers that never grew smaller.

"Your Majesty – !" Gunter's cry echoed mournfully after the pair.

Greta giggled. "Yuuri, I helped you escape, right?"

"Yup! Thanks, Greta! I swear I was going to go mad in there…" Arriving at the round flowerbed, the young king knelt down. "Are these the ones?"

"Yes, those are 'The Great Sage Laughs at the Sun'." A buxom blonde sashayed gracefully over to the Maou. "I'm quite pleased with them, myself."

"Ah, Cheri-sama! They're really nice," said Yuuri sincerely, admiring the way the pale lilac center darkened as it spread down the petals, ending in a purple so dark it could be mistaken for black if one didn't look closely.

Cecilie von Spitzberg bent to caress one of the lily-like flowers, smiling as the bright yellow pollen grains shook off and peppered its neighbor. "I wonder what His Highness will think of this…?"

"How about we go and show him?" the Maou suggested, eagerly leaping for the chance to evade his taskmasters even longer.

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Murata was dreaming. Memories of a time four thousand years ago were invading his subconscious mind, making him relive them with amazing clarity.

_**~X~O~X~**_

"It's well enough that you're inquisitive, but nothing good will come of associating with me. In any case, I am a cursed soukoku, after all." Those were the first words he'd spoken to Shinou, warning him of how soukoku were treated as outcasts by society.

He'd expected the blonde to ignore the comment and talk of his purpose in coming, but Shinou had proven him wrong. So wrong. "You don't seem that way to me. They are a beautiful black color."

That threw him off balance. Nobody ever said that of soukoku; at least, not that he knew of. Country girls took one look at him and ran away crying. Mothers shielded their infants from his gaze. Even the horse dealers thought twice before letting him purchase one from their string. It was barefaced discrimination, but he could do little but bear it.

Yet here was a noble, a leader – depending on the number of men, he might even be a general or a commander – who called the color of his hair and eyes beautiful. The Sage's eyes softened and he looked away, trying to repress the small, almost shy smile that tugged at his lips.

"Besides," continued Shinou, dismounting, "I came for you."

The blonde who was now standing over him, one arm propped on his hip. Shinou exuded confidence the way flowers emitted perfume. The self-assurance in his poise, his eyes, his smile… he'd never seen anything quite like it, certainly nothing recently. He reminded him of the sun, brilliantly and unashamedly beautiful.

"Use your rare knowledge and wisdom in my service," invited Shinou.

The soukoku returned his eyes to his book, feigning disinterest. "For what purpose?"

"To fight Soushu and the others," he answered, gazing towards the mountain behind from which darkness billowed in clouds. His smile vanished, replaced by the serious expression that everyone wore at the mention of the Dark King.

"Fight Soushu?" repeated the Sage, following his eyes. "Do you truly believe you can defeat that enormous power?"

Shinou turned back to face the soukoku. "You and I can do it," he said earnestly as the Sage met his bright blue eyes. "Believe me." He extended his hand, drawing even closer to the dark-haired man.

In the face of the blonde's confidence and intensity, the Sage could only close his eyes in resignation. "If you're not all talk, you may be a true hero."

He snapped his book shut and took the offered hand, standing up to look directly at Shinou. Only this person would he serve, willingly and wholeheartedly – this one and only person who accepted him without a shade of prejudice.

_**~X~O~X~**_

"I've assigned the Wincotts and Lord Weller to the rank of lieutenants and briefed them on their roles," said the Sage. "They are willing to learn and determined to defeat Soushu. I felt them worthy of the position."

The blonde sighed. "My dear strategist, you know it would take something really drastic to make me oppose your decisions."

"Be that as it may, you must be well-informed as to your own army," he replied. "And it is my responsibility to see that you are."

"Don't be so formal. Even _I_ need to relax sometimes." Shinou smiled crookedly. "You, however, seem to have a stick permanently up your –"

"I do not appreciate vulgarity," interrupted the soukoku smoothly. "Casualness I can accept, but beyond a certain degree, it is merely uncouth. Is it so much to ask that you retain some manners? Besides, you are _constantly_ relaxed. Keep this up and your retainers will lose their respect for you."

The general laughed. "They respect me _more_ for being able to be relaxed in the middle of a war against the greatest evil the world has ever seen."

"True," conceded the Sage. He _had_ been exaggerating rather greatly on that point. Changing, the subject, he asked, "Will you require anything else of me tonight?"

"Yes, actually. Why did you say that in front of the newcomers?" Shinou leaned against his table and propped his head in his hands (he'd long since removed his heavy cape). "I believe they were quite shocked by our familiarity."

"Hmm? What are you referring to?" he asked evasively. The truth was that he _did_ remember, and until this moment was still pondering on the very same question that the general had posed him.

Two years after he had entered Shinou's service, most of the soldiers were used to the way their general and his strategist often went out of their way to poke fun – subtly – at each other. When new people joined, However, they usually maintained a relaxed but still formal front. This was the first time he'd slipped up. Still, it was Shinou who had baited him… "He's the only one who says such things to me." How could he resist?

The blonde man closed his eyes. "Stop pretending you don't know what I'm talking about. I believe I know you quite well by now, my beautiful soukoku."

There it was again. Why did Shinou insist on calling him such things? He wasn't beautiful – that much he knew. He didn't deny that he looked vaguely feminine, but was certainly not beautiful. Beautiful was that boy Bielefield and the newly arrived Wincott, Christel. Beautiful was Shinou himself, with his sky-blue eyes that shone even when all else was dark.

Quietly, the soukoku excused himself and left the tent.

_**~X~O~X~**_

Time and again, he told Shinou not to overdo himself. Time and again, the blonde disregarded his words. Yet, somehow, he could never find it in himself to take the commander to task.

He was reminded, forcibly, of this as he approached the exhausted Shinou with a mug of hot tea. "You're overdoing it," he said. The situation was too familiar, but he still went through the motions. "No matter how formidable your maryoku is, it still has its limits."

The commander accepted the mug and drank it gratefully. His strategist watched, part exasperated, part resigned, and part something else he wasn't quite sure how to describe… "But it was worth it, no?" Shinou said, though speaking clearly took a great effort from him.

"Yes. It seems we have suffered less damage than we expected," replied the soukoku, his tone as carefully neutral as always.

Shinou sighed. "I get it; I get it." Setting down his drink and relaxing against his tree again, he continued, "From now on, I'll listen to any advice my strategist gives."

"So you say, but have you ever listened to any advice of mine?" he demanded, a note of genuine irritation stealing into his voice at the memory of how many times he'd told the blonde to stop being reckless with his maryoku.

There was a short pause, during which the Sage noticed how labored the commander's breathing was. "On occasion, I'm sure," he managed at last. "But, if I don't do what I must when the time comes…" he was definitely gasping for breath as he fought to finish what he wanted to say, "for what… did I raise an army? It'd have been in vain…"

The blonde's voice, already soft, dwindled to nothing, and his strategist leaned closer in anxiety. Upon noticing, he decided that Shinou was merely asleep.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, he removed his cloak and gently covered the sleeping general. His eyes softened as he regarded the blonde, on whose face exhaustion was evident in every line… _He pushes himself to the limit of his endurance for our sake. Reckless, overly caring idiot that he is…_

Footsteps sounded behind him, and Walde said, "I'll give you a hand. He'll catch a cold out here."

"Thank you." The soukoku stepped back to let Walde carry Shinou, feeling slightly regretful that with the general in full armor there was no way he could carry him on his own. "What a rash person," he remarked, shaking his head as he turned to accompany them to Shinou's tent.

"Yes. That's why everyone follows him," replied Walde, supporting the sleeping blonde with ease.

Light suddenly radiated from a place slightly ahead of them, and the Sage blinked away the glare to see Bielefield. "Watch your step," said the shorter man, falling in before them to light their path.

_Everyone cares for you when you're like this. No wonder you never pay attention to me when I tell you not to do so much you collapse._ The soukoku smiled slightly as he followed them.

_**~X~O~X~**_

Shinou blinked, paused, stared, rubbed his eyes, and stared again. "Is it just me, or was that Bielefield sitting on Walde's lap?"

"It's not just you, and they're doing rather more than just sitting," answered the Sage, his voice bland. "Shinou, you're staring. May I remind you that a commander should refrain from invading his officers' privacy?"

"Oh. Right." The blonde seemed to be having difficulty tearing himself away from the sight of two of his lieutenants twined together behind their tent flap. "… Where were we heading for again?"

The soukoku sighed. "Your _tent_, my dear perverted commander. I believe the logistics reports await my attention. Unless you plan to go through them for me –"

"Logistics? What are we waiting for, then? Come on!" Shinou hurried off at once, with a highly amused Sage following behind.

In the tent, the strategist seated himself at one side of the table and took down the first sheet of the formidable pile of documents that sat there. Shinou, meanwhile, shrugged out of his cloak and, having hung it appropriately (the Sage had not been very forgiving when it came to a messy working environment), he joined the soukoku at the table.

"Just watching you work makes me feel tired," the blonde commented after a few moments.

"Then don't watch," replied the Sage. "Go and sleep. Tomorrow you will face Soushu and the only thing standing between you and death is your maryoku. You need all the rest you can get."

Shinou smiled. "No. You'll also be there, won't you? Between me and death. Besides, I _want_ to watch you."

"If my presence keeps you from your rest, why don't I leave?" The soukoku kept his voice bland, not allowing his surprise at Shinou's words spill in. He stood, stacking his papers as if he really meant what he'd said.

The blonde caught his wrist. "Don't go."

He faced his commander, looking directly into his eyes. He didn't want any more of this strange behavior from Shinou. "Why not?"

At that, the intensity in those bright blue eyes dimmed. "I don't know. Just… stay here. I'll go sleep, I'll do whatever you say – only stay beside me."

For a long moment, the soukoku watched him, silent. Then he sighed and sat down again. "Okay, I'm not going to leave. Now go and sleep."

The smile that lit up Shinou's face was like the sun in the morning after a stormy night.

_**~X~O~X~**_

They stood on a green meadow, he, Shinou, and his four most trusted lieutenants – \Walde, Bielefield, Erhard Wincott and Lawrence Weller. Four plain boxes rested evenly spaced, in a circle around Shinou; behind each of them stood one of the four lieutenants.

"Ill-fated spirit!" cried the commander. "I will now divide your power and seal you for all eternity!" In his raised fist, darkness bloomed, billowing and spreading out tendrils into the air.

The Sage watched in something akin to wonder. Pure, tangible evil held captive in Shinou's bare hands – it was yet another example of the commander's sheer power.

Blue light, the color of Shinou's maryoku, shot up in columns from each of the four boxes. The lieutenants stood back, wary, as the volatile ball of dark power divided into four thick vines and shot towards the columns. Before they were captured in Shinou's power again, though, they drew together, turning sharply and heading even faster for the blonde instead.

Shinou seemed to have anticipated this; he quickly drew Morgif, and the demon sword's power radiated out like light from the sun. The soukoku had never had the chance to see Morgif drawn at close range, and the brilliant, barely controlled power in it made him draw back in awe.

Two sharp strokes from Morgif was all it took to divide and control the black, cloudlike mass of evil. Its four portions were trapped in the blue columns and forced into the box before it could even begin to recover.

As the columns faded, the ground between the now-closed boxes and Shinou rippled. The boxes vibrated, suddenly taking on dark patches or odd patterns while a strange, dark wind whipped around them; Soushu's power slowly settled.

Shinou spoke to his lieutenants, informing them of their new responsibilities in guarding the boxes. And then, he finally spoke the long-awaited words. "Soushu has been sealed."

On the grassy hilltop, Shinou stood in the shade of a tree, his Sage at his back and his most trusted retainers Walde and Bielefield attending them as guards. In a circle around the crown of the hill and all the way down its slopes stood thousands of people who had survived the war, come to see their hero as he spoke to the land.

Shinou knelt, resting one hand palm-down flat on the ground "Spirits of the earth who rest within this land, I swear to you, I will never harm the people of this land," he said, his voice clear and carrying. "We wish to live here, together, in peace."

When he finished speaking, green bubbles of light floated from the earth under his hand. More and more appeared, and as their number grew, he began to glow the bright blue of his maryoku. The glow intensified until it was so painfully bright that it cancelled out the bright morning sun, making the sky seem as dark as night; his light was like a bubble around the four of them under the tree, with a corona of brilliant white around it.

At last, it dimmed and faded away. "It seems you've been accepted," observed the Sage as Shinou let out a small, almost inaudible sigh of relief.

"Yes." Rising to his feet, the commander spoke for not just the soukoku, but for his entire audience to hear. "I could hear their voices telling me to build our castle here."

_This place will become our country. Without a king like him, the Mazoku will suffer. Without a king like him, someone like me __will never find acceptance._ The Sage watched in silence as Shinou faced those who would soon be his subjects. _When there was a common enemy – Soushu – nobody had much time to doubt those who are different. But peacetime has many of its own problems too. Being the idealist that you are, though, you would never believe that you, the one who saved the world, might end up distrusted by this world's rulers. Now is not the time for idealism. Now is the time for practicality._

Cheering people – villagers, refugees, noblemen and many more – surrounded the newly built castle. In front of the castle gates, the newly returned Wincotts as well as Walde and Bielefield stood in a line behind the Sage, with Shinou right in front to address his people.

The new king drew Morgif, holding the demon sword high in the air. Though no brilliant power radiated from it now, the Sage could distinctly feel it buzzing, hidden within the demon sword for the moment.

"I hereby declare that this land has become our homeland. As your king, I swear to protect this land and its people!" shouted Shinou.

The crowd roared its approval, its cheers resounding throughout the castle and city.

Behind the king, the Sage smiled. Though he couldn't see Shinou's face, he could easily imagine the look of intensity, courage and confidence that the blonde was wearing.

_**~X~O~X~**_

"I'm sorry." There was real regret in Shinou's voice. "I'll be placing a heavy burden on you as well."

"That's not like you," remarked the soukoku. "Your Majesty was the one who said we'd definitely win, wasn't it? The battle isn't over yet."

The king gave a forced laugh. "Our odds are very bad, though."

"You must win," the Sage told him firmly. "For Shin Makoku… No, for the world." _Win with your absolute kindness. That is the only way._

Shinou snorted, slumping in his throne. "You really are merciless."

"Besides," the soukoku continued, stepping closer to him and resting one hand on the king's shoulder while placing the other over his heart, "you are not on your own."

The blonde looked up, his blue eyes questioning. Smiling reassuringly, the Sage explained, "When I took your hand that first time, I decided that I'd stay by your side."

Now it was Shinou's turn to smile, his eyes softening as he raised a hand of his own to cover the one resting on his shoulder. "Thank you… my beautiful soukoku."

_I'm__ not beautiful. __You__ are_. Their fingers entwined warmly. Suddenly, the Sage found himself off balance, and he instinctively braced himself on the nearest object – the huge throne on which Shinou sat.

The soukoku's eyes widened, and he made to stand, but the king was tightly holding both the hand resting on his shoulder and the one resting on the back of the throne. "You are surprisingly forward," commented Shinou, his eyes teasing. "I always thought _I_'d have to make the first move."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said the Sage evenly. In truth, his pulse was racing and he knew exactly what the Shinou meant. _So close…_

"Oh, I'm sure you do." The blonde stood, wrapping his arms around the soukoku in a gentle embrace and pressing their lips together in a warm, lingering kiss.

The Sage's mind was, for the first time in his life, a complete blank.

After a few moments, Shinou drew away. Those blue, blue eyes looked at him like he was the only in the world. "My beautiful soukoku…"

"I'm not beautiful. _You_ are." Only after he'd said it did he realize the words had been spoken out loud, and the Sage was about to say something else to cover it up when the king interrupted.

"You _are_ beautiful. You've always been… to me."

_**~X~O~X~**_

Murata stirred. Someone was sitting on the table where he rested his head. Opening his eyes blearily, he saw a Shinou rather less substantial than the one in his dream. "Shinou…" He sat up, replacing his glasses. "Tell me, does it hurt to see me, with all the memories of the Great Sage but not his physical appearance?"

The blonde didn't turn to look at him, instead staring out of the window into the distance. "Yes. But I was the one who asked that of him, so don't worry."

The boy pushed back his chair, walking over to stand beside Shinou. "I was dreaming of the past."

"I see." The man still didn't face him. "Well, what's past is past. It won't come back again."

"Did you know that he thought of you as the sun?" inquired Murata casually. "Bright, unashamed, shining, brilliant. And, of course, burning."

"What do you want of me?" asked Shinou, hints of anger and guilt in his polite tone. "I acknowledge that I caused him more pain that I can imagine. I know you hold his memories, every single detail of them, and memories of so many other lives that I can barely begin to fathom. What else do you want of me?"

Murata's spectacles glinted. "I want you to love me the way you did him."

The blonde started. "What?!"

"You heard me." The boy leaned on the windowsill, folding his arms. "And you said it yourself. I remember everything. Your touch, your taste, your tears – I remember them all."

Shinou frowned. "You aren't him. You are Murata Ken, and the same soul does not mean the same character."

"I am the Great Sage in a different body," countered Murata. "I lived in so many bodies over the years – it's not unlike an actor who has acted many plays without ever repeating them. Right now, I am simply the Great Sage in the role of Murata Ken."

The man was silent. Pressing his advantage, Murata added, "Besides, I can tell you're lonely. You've had nobody apart from each successive Genshi Miko."

Shinou still did not answer. The boy was about to continue when a familiar voice called, "Murata!" and Yuuri burst into the room.

"Shibuya! What's the hurry?" Smiling cheerfully, Murata turned to greet his friend. "Escaping Gunter and Gwendal again?"

"Eh… well, yeah," admitted Yuuri, sheepishly scratching his head. "But that's not the point. Cheri-sama named her new flowers after you!"

"Did she? That's nice of her. What are they called?" The bespectacled boy looked over the Maou's shoulder. "Ah, Cheri-sama and Greta came with you?"

Greta bounced over to tug at Murata's shirt. "Mm, we helped Yuuri run away! Come, come! Don't you want to see?"

"They're called 'The Great Sage Laughs at the Sun'," said Cheri-sama, bowing in Shinou's direction before proffering a bouquet of the said flowers. "Do you like them, Your Highness?"

"'The Great Sage Laughs at the Sun', is it?" Murata took the bouquet carefully, peering closely at the dark purple lilies and humming appreciatively. "They're gorgeous, Cheri-sama. You are a genius at this. Would it be possible to grow them here?"

The buxom blonde lady smiled, pleased. "We'll find a way. Your Majesty, why don't we…"

Blue eyes and black met, coming to a mutual agreement.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That evening, Murata went to the roof. As expected, Shinou was waiting for him.

"What did you think of them? 'The Great Sage Laughs at the Sun'?" inquired the boy, leaning against the crenellated wall. "Pretty, aren't they? I never thought dark lilies could look quite so nice…"

The blonde man didn't answer at once. "He never laughed. Not like you do," he said at last.

"Yeah, well, they're named after _me_, not after _him_," Murata pointed out. "This is one time when I can be sure I am Murata Ken and not the Great Sage. It is rarely so clear-cut."

Silence fell between them as they watched the dark orange sun slide behind the horizon. Only when the last sliver of burning color vanished and the cool light of the moon washed over them did Shinou speak. "You have his eyes."

"Do I?" The boy smiled with false brightness.

"Yes. They're bigger and hidden behind you spectacles, but they're unmistakably his." Shinou shifted, letting out a small sigh. "Did you know why I didn't leave after Yuuri freed me of Soushu?"

"No… Why?" Murata glanced up at the taller man, genuinely curious.

The blonde was once again gazing into the distance. "Somehow I thought I would see him in you more clearly as time passed. We had so little time before that… and I was almost delirious, eaten away from inside by Soushu's power. I couldn't leave, not if there was a chance I might see you again… see my beautiful soukoku Great Sage."

Now it was Murata's turn to stay silent, glasses glinting in the moonlight. Shinou looked at him. "I'm sorry. It seems I can do nothing but burden you. But about what you requested –"

"Requested? Maa… I suppose you can call it that," commented Murata, meeting the blue gaze directly. "Yes, a request. Not an order. Not a plea. A request."

Shinou stared at him for a few seconds, then his eyes softened and he smiled, that familiar half-amused, half-exasperated smile that called up memories deep within the boy. One large hand landed on the dark curls, running through them a little awkwardly. "I'll try to love you. It'll take time, but after four thousand years of waiting, time is meaningless. Just stay beside me… my Great Sage, Murata Ken."

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**A/N: This is my first attempt to write something for KKM. I hope it turned out okay. It was mostly just me adding my own imagination to Episode 68 of the anime. As for the whole flowers thing, that was inspired by Episode 110 of the series or Episode 32 of the 3****rd**** season.**

**Please review! Feedback is greatly appreciated!**


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